Union City ramps up the defense pressure, overcomes early deficit to defeat Reading
UNION CITY – The Union City Charger boys varsity basketball team overcame an early double-digit deficit to defeat the Reading Rangers Thursday night in Big 8 conference basketball, winning by the score of 40-36.
Union City trailed for much of the first half before taking the lead right after the break, a lead they would build to as much as six points heading into the fourth quarter. Reading heated up from three in the fourth quarter on their way to retaking a slim lead, only to see the Chargers come through in the clutch, tying things up on a pair of Rick Austin free throws, before taking the lead on an Eli Payne steal and bucket in transition.
A last second three-point attempt from Reading fell short and the Chargers added an Aidan Decker free throw to find the final score of 40-36.
What Happened?
Things did not start well for Union City in the early going, as Reading raced out to a double-digit lead at 14-4, leading to a Charger timeout.
“We were just not playing basic basketball at the start of the game. We were out of position on defense and there was confusion on defense, which is unfortunate at this point in the season, so we will certainly focus on that. Tuesday night and tonight though the guys grinded it out and got the win,” said Union City coach Ben Chard.
Union City, playing short one starter who missed the game due to illness and short another who got into early foul trouble, struggled to get any sort of flow going on either end of the floor.
Trailing 16-8 at the start of the second quarter the Chargers began to slowly claw back into the game, thanks to their newfound energy on both ends of the floor. Union City went on to double up Reading in the second quarter, outscoring the Rangers 14-7, closing the score to just a single point at 23-22 heading into the half.
Union City really ramped up the defense coming out of the halftime break, as the suffocating Charger defensive pressure held Reading to just three points scored throughout the third as Union City took the quarter 10-3, extending the Charger lead to 32-26.
Reading was not about to quit however, as the Rangers started to heat up from beyond the arc while the Charger offense cooled down in a hurry. Reading eventually battled all the way back to tie the game at 34-34 with three minutes left in the game. Less than a minute later a pair of free throws from Reading sophomore Brayden Wright gave the Rangers their first lead since just after the half at 36-34 with 2:30 left in the game.
Union City dug deep and showed some true grit, keeping their heads in the game on defense while executing on the offensive end. Junior playmaker Rick Austin got to the free throw for Union City, and with ice water in his veins calmly sank both shots to tie up the game up at 36-36 with 1:30 left in the contest.
The difference for the game came on the ensuing attempt to break the Charger press as junior Eli Payne converted a clutch steal into a bucket in transition, giving Union City the 38-36 lead with just over a minute left in the game.
Reading’s next trip down on offense came up empty, leading to a rebound by Aidan Decker and eventually a pair of free throws from Payne. Payne hit 1 of 2 from the charity stripe, extending the Charger lead to 39-36 with 41.1 seconds left.
The Rangers held on for the final shot and got a decent look from the top of the key; however, the ball careened off the back of the iron, leading to a rebound for Decker with less than one second left in the game. Decker was fouled with 0.3 seconds left and after hitting one of two from the charity stripe found the final score of 40-36.
Team Leaders
Union City had one player reach double figures as it was Austin leading the way with 16 points, including a 6 for 7 effort from the free throw line. Only five Chargers scored on the night, with Decker adding nine points; Payne chipping in with seven; Jason Shoop with six; and Brendan Snyder with two.
Reading was led on the night by Brady Kling with 14 points while Brayden Wright added 10 points.
They Said It
“Reading has definitely improved over the season, and they really had a good game plan against us tonight but in the fourth quarter we got some big buckets from some big players, and we were able to hang on. Our bench is young and is really coming along, and our starters have really taken those guys under their wings and are teaching them what varsity basketball is about. Just tonight we saw some growth out of Jason Shoop and Reed Goodwin, and for us to be successful down the road we need that bench to continue to grow.” - Union City coach Ben Chard.
What’s Next?
With the win Union City improves to 7-4 overall on the year and 3-1 in the Big 8 conference. The Chargers will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to Quincy.
With the loss Reading falls to 3-8 overall on the year and 0-5 in the Big 8. The Rangers will return to action Tuesday when they host Maple Valley.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Union City overcomes early deficit to put away Reading in Big 8 play
